Explosive-engine



Patented Sept. 6, I89&

No. 6l0,465.

A. WINTON. E XPLOSIVE ENGINE.

(Application filed Sept. 18, 1897.)

(No Model.)

am 6 Hozvwng scribed hereinafter and particularly referred ALEXANDER wm'ron,

NrrnD STATES OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

EXPLOSlVE-ENGIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 610,465, dated September 6, 1898. Application filed September 18, 1897. Serial 1t.- eaam. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER WINTON, of Cleveland, in the county .of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Explosive-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe' in vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in electric sparkers for gasolene engines and it consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts which will be fully deto in the claims. 7.

The primary object of my present invention is to provide an improved means for pro-1 ducing an electric ignition-spark, constructed to vary the ignition lead according to the speed of the enginethat is, when the engine is running beyond its normal speed the ignition will occur correspondingly quicker.

Another object of mypresent invention is to provide a yielding operating member for the sparking members, whereby the contact of the sparking members is insured, the yielding member taking up any wear that may occur and giving a uniform pressure of contact.-

My present invention is especially adaptedand intendedfor use in connection with explosiveengines for. propelling vehicles, though it may be used advantageously in connection with engines used for other purposes. I find it desirable in motors, especially when intended for use in connection with vehicles, to have the motor run at dif-v ferent speeds for varying the speed of the vehicle instead of using a multiplicity of gears, which greatly decrease the power of the engine when .running at a hi h speed. The speed of the engine varying, it becomes es-' sential and, indeed, in practice necessary to vary the ignition lead automatically according to the speed of the engine, whereby the time of ignition is automatically varied and controlled to occur at the proper time according to the speed of the engine.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which E is the driving-shaft, Fthe crank-pin v thereof, and G, the piston-rod.

Extending, preferably, transverse the cylin der and parallel with the driving-shaft This a counter-shaftH, carrying a cam K, engaging a wheel M in the lower end of the exhaustvalve stem 0, the shaft H being driven through the medium of the gears I and J, whereby the'shaft H has one revolution to every two of the shaft E, as is usual in explosion-engines' The cam K is so situated and is adjustable upon the shaft H through the medium of the clamping-screw L that the exhaust-valve is lifted at the proper time to permit the escape of theexhaust.

Situated, preferably, within the explosiveinlet 13 are the electric contacts, consisting of a'stationary contact f and an oscillating shaft 6, also electrically connected, the said shaft having at its inner end an arm 01, carrying a contact to engage with the inwardlyprojecting end of the contactf. The outer end of the oscillating shaft 6 is connected with the operating-bar 2' through the medium of a U-shaped spring h. This bar 1' is reciprocated through the medium of a cam to be presently described, whereby it is lifted to cause the arm d tomake contact and then suddenly dropped to quickly separate the contacts for producing the spark. The special function of the spring his to insure a perfect electrical contact and even vpressure at all -times,while it also serves to take up any wear which may occur upon the contacts, and therefore its form may be varied without departing from the scope of my invention.

My improved means for effecting the ignition or spark at the proper time according to the speed of the engine consists of a cam. This cam comprises a collar q, adjustably held to the shaft H by means of a set-screw a, the collar having at one end a cam s,whioh begins at the point t, and having its opposite end in a perpendicular line, but beveled outward to form a beveled or tapered end, as shown at w. Situated outside and parallel with this cam s is a flange tt, having both its ends tapered or beveled, as shown at y and y. This cam is situated within a box j, its top 70 having an opening Z, through which the lower end of the rod 1; passes. A spring m serves to hold the rod normally downward, and a spring 72 serves to hold it normally outward against the upper wall of the box, and the outer surfaces of the cams's and u are in the same plane and rest against the adjacent face of the boxingj, as clearly illustrated.

. The operation of my invention is as follows: The cam rotating in the direction indicated by arrow in Figs. 2 and3 the lower extremity of the rod 2' is engaged first by the point t of the cam, thus gradually lifting the rod and making contact of the electric sparker until the opposite and tapered end of the cam is reached, when the rod drops suddenly downward, causing a sudden and quick separation of the contacts for creating the sparks. When the engine is running at its normal speed, the lower end of the rod 1 will follow the flange 'u, and its tapered end y and onto the end or extremity of the tapered portion to of the cam 8. When the speed of the engine is increased, however, and the cam therefore rapidly rotating, the light spring m will not hold or pull the lower end of the rod against the tapered end of the flange or cam 10, thus causing the rod to travel in a straight .line and dropping off of the tapered end w at a point inside of its extremity, thus causing it to drop ofi sooner, as will be readily understood. The weight of the rod and the strength of the spring n are made of the proportion and strength to cause this result. The taper y serves to force the rod laterally as the cam is being rotated, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 1, so that it will again move in at the opposite taper y when the engine is running at its normal speed. When, however, as before stated, the speed of the engine is increased, the rod will drop ofi the tapered end to farther from its extremity, thus makinga quickerignition. This tapered portion w serves stillanother function, in that if the engine is run backward there will be no breaking or displacing or straining of the parts, in that the lower end of the rod will simply be forced laterally and travel in the ing the ignition when the pitman is on the center, so that the ignition of the full charge piston passes the center when the engine is running very rapidly the spark must take place earlier to get the maximum power of the explosion, which is secured when the whole of the charge is ignited the instant the piston passes its center, at which instant the charge is under the greatest compression, as is understood by those skilled in the art. The taper of the cam and the weight of the rod '5 and the tension of the spring 9?. are made of a proportion to accomplish this result, as before stated.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A sparker-actuating device for explo sive-engines comprising a cam having an abrupt end wall, atapered end, and a projecting flange ending atapoint inside the abrupt end of the cam, substantially as described.

2. A sparker-actuating device for explosive-engines'comprising a collar having a cam with one end beginning on a plane therewith and its opposite end having an abrupt tapered wall, the cam having a parallel projecting flange at its longest side with tapered ends, substantially as described.

. 3. An electric sparkerfor explosive-engines comprising electric contacts, means for suddenly separating the contacts, a rotating cam having an abrupt end wall and a tapered end, and an endwise and laterally moving member engaging the said cam and operating one of the contacts, substantially as described.

4. An electric sparker for explosive-engines comprising contacts, means for separating them, a rotating cam having an abrupt end wall and a tapered end, and a parallel flange at the outer side of the cam ending at a point inside the end of the cam, substantially as described.

5.. An electric sparker comprising contacts, means for separating them, a rotating cam having an abrupt end wall and a tapered end, and a parallel flange at the outer side of the cam and extending parallel therewith having a tapered end ending at a point inside of the end of the cam, combined with an endwise and laterally movable actuating member engaging the cam and operating one of the con tacts, substantially as. described.

6. An electric sparker for explosive-engines comprising contacts, means for separating them, a rotating cam an end wall against whichthe face of the cam rotates, the cam having an abrupt end wall tapered outward, and a flange parallel with the outer face of the cam projecting outward therefrom, the ends of the flange being tapered and the end adjacent the tapered end of the cam ending at a point inside of the end of the cam, substantially as described.

7. An electric sparker comprising contacts,

a rotating cam having an abrupt and diagoend of the rod connected with the movable nally-extending wall, aflange projecting from contact, substantially as described. I 10 the cam and extending parallel therewith and In testimony whereof I affix my signature having its end ending at a point inside the in presence of two witnesses.

end wall of the cam, a rod having one end en- ALEXANDER WINTON. gaging the cam, a spring holding the rod n0r- Witnesses: mally downward, a spring holding the rod GEO. H. BROWN,

normally against the said flange, the opposite JOHN G. WAY. 

